Dining: Red River

Alpine Escape

Red River, 35 miles northeast of Taos off N.M. 38, has a decidedly frontier spirit, and you’ll have to pack a frontiersman’s appetite along with your skis to work your way through the delicious, hearty fare offered by this village’s restaurants.

Start off the day at Mountain Treasures, an art gallery and coffeehouse, where you’ll likely find the local gentlemen’s coffee klatch gathering for a cup of joe amid fine landscape paintings and portraits of cowgirls. As soon as you step inside, you’ll catch a heavenly whiff of the bakery’s cinnamon rolls. Generous amounts of this doughy confection’s signature spice are tucked into its folds; the bakers have spared the sugar here, and promise that the hearty roll will give you plenty of energy throughout the day. Pick up a kolache, a puff-pastry pocket filled with sausage and cheese, for a mid-morning snack before hitting the slopes at Red River Ski Area, which offers downhill trails for beginners and experts alike, as well as snowmobile tours and a tubing area.

At lunchtime, cozy up at Onota Bakery & Coffee Haus, at the base of the ski hill’s red chairlift. Here, chef Niki Scott simmers warming soups (served by the mug, or in a bowl made of fresh-baked bread), grills crispy vegetable paninis, and daily bakes a case full of dessert bars, cookies, and strudels. And don’t miss the pillowy pumpkin cookies, topped with a sinfully thick layer of cream-cheese icing. With chess sets and children’s toys on hand, you might be tempted to linger in this family-friendly restaurant all afternoon.

Then again, after lunch you might ramble through downtown Red River’s many quaint shops. But if outdoor adventure beckons, head to the Enchanted Forest Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe Area. New Mexico’s largest full-service, cross-country ski area offers 33 kilometers of groomed skiing trails and another 15 km of snowshoeing trails. Spend the afternoon gliding or hiking among moss-covered pines under vivid blue skies, through areas with legend-inspired names like the Yeti Trail or Sherwood Forest.

By now you’ll surely have worked up another appetite, and back in town, the Timbers’, substantial steaks and supersize portions are sure to satisfy. Under boots tacked to the rafters, dine on cowboy fare like chicken-fried steak, or tuck into a tasty excuse for carb loading: green-chile pasta Alfredo, which packs a mellow heat in its creamy sauce.

Mountain Treasures, 121 E. Main, (575) 754-2700, www.mountaintreasuresgallery.com; Red River Ski Area, off Pioneer Rd., (575) 754-2223, www.redriverskiarea.com; Onota Bakery & Coffee Haus, 110 Pioneer Rd., (575) 754-3355, www.onotabakery.com; Enchanted Forest Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe Area, 3 miles E. of Red River off N.M. 38, (575) 754-2374, www.enchantedforestxc.com;
Timbers, (575) 754-6242—Ashley M. Biggers